Gate.



No. 032,009. Y PATENTBD 05m05.100s.

W. H.' CLAY.

GATE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 13. 1900.

PATENTED SEPI'. 25, 1906.

W. H. CLAY.

GATE.

APPLICATION FI'LBD JUNEls. 1906.

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1HE NsRRls PETERS co., wAsHmaroN. n4 c4 No. 832,009'. PATENTBD SEPT.V25, 1906. W l H. CLAY.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1906.

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i' UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

`WILLIAM Il. CLAY, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF FOUR- FIFTHSTO T. C. JEFFERSON, OF LEXINGTON,`KENTUCKY.

GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application led June 13, 1906. Serial No. 321.548.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. CLAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in gates of that class known in the art as "handoperated swinging gates, and is designed as an improvement on the gate which is the subject of United States Patent No. 603,258, issued to me on May 3, 1898. In order to release and'close this patented gate, it is necessary to lift the front end thereof upon the lower hinge as a pivot by means of the handlever or walking-beam until the latch is raised above 'the keeper. It has been found that this is sometimes too hard a pull.v

It is the` object of the present invention to avoid the necessity of raising the gate in order to release the catch and close said gate.

To this end the invention consists in providing a latch which is adapted to be withdrawn from its keepers on the road-posts, mounting the pivot-stud for engagement by the operating-rods upon a piece pivoted to the back or hinge stile of the gate and employing means of connection between said latch and pivoted piece whereby the actuation of one of the operating-rods attached to the hand-levers will withdraw said keeper from said catch and permit the gate to close.

The invention also consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

In the accompanying. drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 `is an elevation of the gate closed looking in the direction of the road. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the gate open. Fig. 3 is an elevation looking across the road width the gate open. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the pivoted piece carrying the pivot-stud. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. 6 is a detailed view of a modified forni of lever comprising strips of wood fitted in a trough-shaped piece pivoted to one of the road-posts; and Fig. 7 is-a broken plan view thereof, showing the means of bracing the lever to the rear side of the post.

Referring more particularly to the drawhaving a link 2a, provided with a boss 2b,

adapted to engage the shank of one of the hinge-bolts and prevent the upper end of the rear or hinge stile of the gate from swinging around in vertical line with the lower end thereof, thus causing the gate when open to assume an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 2. This position of the gate causes it to close automatically when the catch 5 is released from one of the keepers 6 on the road-posts 7, as hereinafter described.

Near the top of each of the road-posts 7 is pivoted a lever 8, having a downwardly-extending short arm 9 and an outwardly-eX- tending long arm 10, to the latter of which is connected a depending cord or rope to be grasped by the hand to operate the gate. Said levers are preferably made of metal angle-bars; but they may comprise wooden pieces 11 and 12, fitted in a grooved metal piece 13, pivoted to the roadost, as shown in Fig. 6. The levers are a so preferably braced to the rear side of the posts by braces 14, as shown in Fig. 7. The end of the downwardly-extending short arm 9 of each lever 8 is secured to an operating-rod 15, the other end of which is fastened to the eyeplate 16, fitting over the pivot-pin 17. Said pivot-pin 17 is carried by a piece 18, preferably made of metal with side flanges 19, eX- tending along and pivoted to the sides of the the back or hinge stile 20 of the gate. The

upper corner of said hinge-stile, which is embraced by the hinged piece 18, is beveled off, as at 21,to permit of the movement of said piece on its pivots. A coiled spring 22, one end of which is seated in a socket 23 in said beveled surface and the other end of which is secured in any suitable manner to the pivoted piece, normally holds said piece in an upright position. The pivoted piece is connected to the gate-latch by any suitable means, such as wires or cords, preferably fastened to eyes or loops`2'4 on said piece.

To close the gate when in the position IOO shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the long arm of the right-hand lever in Fig. 3 is pulled down, causing the operating-rod connected to the short arm of said lever to push against the pivot-pin on the hinge-stile of the gate and turning the piece carrying said pin upon its pivots, thereby withdrawing the latch by means oi the connection between it and said pivoted piece. As soon as the latch is withdrawn from the keeper on the road-post the gate will swing closed automatically, being aided by a continued pull on the long arm of the lever.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a hinge-post, and a gate hinged thereto, oi a road-post carrying a keeper, a latch on said gate adapted to engage said keeper when the gate is open, a lever pivoted to said road-post, a springpressed pivot-pin pivoted on the gate, an operating-rod connecting said pivot-pin and said lever, and means of connection' between said pivot-pin and the gate-latch, whereby the actuation of said lever will withdraw the latch from the keeper and permit the gate to close.

2. The combination, with a hinge-post, and a gate hinged thereto, of' road-posts, one on each side of the hinge-post and each carrying a keeper, a latch on said gate adapted toengage one of said keepers when the gate is open, levers, one pivoted to each of said roadposts, a spring-pressed pivot-pin pivoted on the gate, operating rods connecting said pivot-pin and said levers, and means of connection between said pivot-pin and the gatelatch, whereby the actuation of said lever will withdraw the latch from the keeper and permit the gate to close.

3. The combination, with a hinged gate carrying a latch, arranged on the free end thereof, of a suitably-supported keeper adapted to be engaged by said latch when the gate is open, a vertical piece pivoted on the hinge-stile of the gate, means ext-ending across the gate for connecting the latch and pivoted piece whereby the operation of said pivoted piece will withdraw the latch from the keeper and permit the gate to close, a portion of said hingestile being cut away behind said pivoted piece to provide for its movement, a spring' arranged between said pivoted piece and the hingestile for the purpose specified, and means to operate said pivoted piece.

4. The combination, with a hinge-post, and a gate hinged thereto, the upper hinge having a boss which prevents the upper portion of the gate 'from swinging around into vertical alinement with the lower portion thereof whereby the gate will swing closed automatically when released, oi a road-post carrying a keeper, a latch on said gate adapted to engage said keeper when the gate is open, a lever pivoted to said road -post, a springpressed pivot-pin pivoted on the gate, an operating-rod connecting said pivot-pin and said lever, and means of connection between said pivot-pin and the gate-latch, whereby the actuation of said lever will withdraw the latch from the keeper and permit the gate to c ose.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence oi two witnesses.

WILLIAM II. CLAY. 

